September 10, 2026

The change won’t affect commercial products, and the cancer institute will still be a part of the Mass General Brigham Health Plan commercial provider network.

The HHS Office of the Inspector General audited Medicare’s Part D prescription drug benefit and found it spent $587.7 million from 2021 through 2023 on five drugs that were labeled prescription-only, despite the Food and Drug administration switching them to over the counter more than a year prior. Part D does not cover drugs that can be purchased over the counter.

The No Surprises Act’s IDR process has expanded significantly, with 2.5 million disputes filed in 2025 and 1.4 million in the first five months of 2026, compared with an initial estimate of about 17,000 disputes per year. Rep. Frank Pallone is seeking information from six IDR entities about their dispute decisions and processes, as some entities have reported provider win rates above 90%. A recent study also estimated the process resulted in more than $22 billion in additional healthcare spending during the first four years of its implementation.

The HHS awarded $383.4 million in grants to strengthen behavioral health treatment, prevention, and crisis-response services, with $252 million directed toward the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, suicide prevention, and mobile crisis services. The funding also includes $81.4 million for substance use treatment and prevention and $50 million for mental health initiatives.

CMS's latest enforcement actions highlight the agency's increasing reliance on data analytics and targeted oversight to combat healthcare fraud and protect Medicare program.